Weapon of Choice developer's new game

Mommy's Best Games has announced its latest game, Grapple Buggy, which mixes 2D driving and swinging around with a grappling hook on an uncharted planet.

Grapple Buggy is due out this holiday season - i.e. in time for Christmas - and developer Nathan Fouts told Eurogamer to expect "an unusual yet satisfying blend of exploratory driving, chest dropping swings, and mega-monster fighting action!"

Fouts, who used to work at Insomniac, is best known for his debut Xbox 360 Community Game, Weapon of Choice, and the follow-up shares that game's 2D perspective and colourful take on alien flora and fauna, as you can see in the screenshot gallery.

Players take control of Nova commander Javeya and her alien co-pilot Drozo, exploring the newly discovered planet VALD-END 317 in search of faster-than-light travel fuel called Vald, and one of several, story-driven game endings.

Judging by the first gameplay trailer, there's a fair amount of combat and platforming along the way, and we're told to expect collectable upgrades including new wheels, jumping abilities and additional grapple arms.

Look out for more on the XNA Community Games in a soon-to-be-published roundup of the best and most interesting. You can follow Grapple Buggy's progress on Fouts' development blog.